/1th e tlitio n-]Oth tho u s and

Nihil Obstat: (l.tnot.t's l)or r.li, S. f .,

( ('ll.s()/' 'l'ltaol. DePtrl "
Preaching Christ Crucified
Irnprimi Potest: {. lrliA\('lS( t'S .l . \\ r\l-L,
I it. ('rrlt.
-REV. RORERT NASH, S.J.
l)t rt-rst, dir 2\\ ltrttii, lll lo.
IN:I'RODUC'fION
JESUS CHRIST A vousc woMAN was kuteling in tear.s for sin harl broken her heatt.
To be sure she hacl no enviable repntation in the gay city where
W::at Ohrist Means to Us. lll lltr'. Slr'lrlrlrr .l . lllou n, S.'l
she lived. For years she had gone on hor evil way, deafening her
ears to the warnings of conscience, laughing with an assumption of'
What Think You of Christ? llY ll0v. ll,rlr,'rl \rrslr. S.J. gaioty when her friends tried to save her, fondly talking herself
into the belief that, she was happy anrl carefree; that her beauty
Christ the King, Ill llev. 'l'. llrrllcr. S ,l .
held many enthralled, and that she had found in the thrill and
excitemetrt of her sin all that this life helil of tme eujo5,ment.
Ghrist t:re Worker, llr l)r'. 1". \l;rcli.
Dut a change has corne to-clay. Quite sudtlenly, it would seern,
Jesus and Suffering Man. lh ilrc Nl.sl llcr'. ,\. (l'rotlicr' she has decided to call a halt to this reckless chase. To-dav corn-
S..J. punction has seized rrpon her at last, for she has listenetl to-clay to
a new Prophet, and never did man speak as lfe
A gi13 t Life of Our Lord. lh tlrl Nlosl ll.r. .\. (lrrorlit't' ..[]1Y - has spoken. His worcls have pierced her heart
Matdalene like a two-etlged swortl and she has founcl her way,
s.,t .

Listening to Jesus, (l6ile D6.
At the Master's Feet. Ilr- -\'[aol losl . and repentance. And ,Iestrs bent nver Magdalene that day and
This is Christ. Bv Ilcv. S. [lcrlmontl,
The Parables of Our Lord. ll1' Olivt' Nl:ttl
Lessons in the Tabernacle. Adaptorl bv lr)
God and Oursetves. Rv Rev. Stepht'n
The Love of Cod. lJr' llev. l). O'srrlliv:rrr.
Price 3d, each, bY Post,4+d.
intleed sho has probably forcerl her way, into this banquet*all
where He is reclining at table. She kneels 'r,ery low here, er.err
rlown at His feet, anrl sbe sobs out hel story of sin and sharno
ptonounced a sentence upon hel that nearly paralysecl her, so
S .l . ovot'powering rvas the ecstasy of joy with which it inundated her
sottl. " Ifany sins are forgiven her becarrse she ha,th loverl mrtch."
St irttlrrrt'
.[t was a moment of extraordinarv grace, anrl she knew that,
never again conld she be the same Magrlalene. Ilenceforth one
Lt'rrlrr'.
Ionging alone will occup)' her mind-to prove to this nrerciful
. lllourr. S.J. Christ that her repentance is genuine. She arose to her feet a
.I
woman transformed. ,On that, momentous day tr{agclalene took her
fir:st step on the road to high sanctity, and love beckoned her
S.J.
from one pinnacle to another, and ultimatelv it drew her on, this
alluring power of a mighty love, even as far as the summits.
Saul of Tarsus hated Jesus Christ,. fn a paroxism of fury
against Him and His followers he rode with an escort of soldiers

,9.J

pREACI{INCi CTIRIST (tRt r(.t lrJtil)
iuto l)arnascus, bear.irrg itr ltis pocl<t,i,llrr,$r'ill0tt irutho|isatiou to
urttrsL all (lhristi:rlrs lltctl rtttrl lrliltg thetn bottrxl
Saul of to Jt,nrsalc'ru. llt<l srrrl,l,'rrll rr liglrt, lrottr lteaverr
Tarsus shone rourt<l about ltirrr. 'l\'r'r'ili.rl, lre feil ofI his
h.orse, ancl, knecling with j<tiled ltatltls ott iltt rlrtsfv rroadside, he
thet'e reccivccl lvltnt has lyell hecrt t'ltllr',1 "lttt :ttlrlrtr'iolls gl'ace."
llhe persecrrtor $':rs cltangei[ into rttt irl)()$ilr', llr,'lrrti,r't'of C;lrtist
stootl rtp atrd linew that olr tlrrrt, iln.r' (llrrisl lrrr,l s,t\t tt itl his heart
the seeds of n" lor-e strotrger t]ran rlt':rl.lr.
Henceforth Ohrist and H-is t'atlst ltlt'rttttt'lirl l'rtttl l solt of
obsession. Such a rnan'ellorts cltattgtt ! I'r'oplt' tt'lto lisllrttrl to him
saw that the ntan rvas lil<e otto' lrt'sitlt' lrirrrslll. ' " \Vlro shall
sepalate ns front the lol-o oJ:(llrlisli'J I ttttr ''irll lltrtt rlt'itlrer
life nor deat"h nor allr. ol,lrrrt' i,lrirrg slrlrll lrl rtlrlc lo sr'1tltl'attr
us from thelore of God l'lrir'll is irl (llrlisi 'llsrts Ottt l,otrl." llo
was irnprisoned, shiplvrrrthtrl, st'rtttl'gt'tl' llrttlllt,'rl iti its:t Ilrttrtt'it',
brrt tt irr all thcse t'ltitlgs u'r, ltllvt'tttt't't'ttltlc, Irtr lltr'*rlt' t'f' llittt'"
No porrer otr ealth ol irr lrtll ettr lrolrl ltittt tlttu', lirt ltc cltrt'it's itt
his great lteat't, 1'(rl'\' l'lll ll:l('(f ol lovrr lot 'llstts (llrlist''
t,
'Ilhis is'lvlrat lt:t;1r1rttt.'rl io Srrttl n'ltort lte sttt'tclltlt't'ctl to l,lral,
might-v gtaco otlct'cd ltittt olt tlrt'l)atttast'rts ronrl.
Titrte wts ltatrgirrg heavilv olr tho lltlll(ls of tht' q'orintletl soldior,
anrl ho callcit f or a book to rearl atrtl rvhile trlra-v the t'oar.v
hours of his convalescence. The5r corlrl find nothing to give hinr
exceut a book of the li'r'es of Chlist:rtrtl IIis
Ignatius Sair.is. These he looked at witlt s.,r.tlring YetY
Loyola like scorn. No reaflipg for a, soltlier', tha't
!
Ifowever, for the want, of b-'tter, he began to tttt'rt ott't'tltc pages
listlessl-v. Presiintiy irrterest quickened. \\rlrat a. r<'vt'lrttiotr this
is! llerc is a, whole Irew world the existett<'t' ol'u'lrit'h he hail
nerer even suspectorl. TIere are tnetr antl u'otttctt lit t'd u ith a
love an<l a zeal for Jostis Christ hesirlt' lvhit'h l)orr lrrigo's anrhi-
tions allrl schemes fol greatness cttt a t-t't'v sol'l'\' [iglllo int]eetl'
Would it he po,ssible for hitn, even for the rrorlrlll' Slrrrrrislr lrildago,
to serve thr: King of Kings anrl becotne tlistilrgrrislrltl irr llis ser-
vice? Porhaps lre could hocottro a saint lilit' tlrcst' ol.llet tttetr antl
1!'omen ? lVhv not i)
A n'riglitv grac \r!'as offerecl to hiln tlrnt, rlrtl', itrtrl lvith a grateful
and generous heart be str:etched out, hoth ltrtttrls ttt a<'ccpt it' Tlrc
spark of <livine love had caught 1,, 11i5 sortl, alltl vt ty soon it
became a, flame. I.1; is the natut'e of fitc to sptearl. The' loyei
PREACHING CHRIST CRUCIFIED
'lvithin hirn cannot r'est, and he gathdrs around him a group of
disoiples irrto whose hearts he fuses that fire with which he him-
self is aflame. Thuy rnust go int'o the four corners of the world
with a mighty ideal spurring thern oq1-fe set the entire earth
ablaze with the love of Jesus Ohrist. Here is ambition wor-thv of
all that is noblest, in man. Flero is the marvel that was wtought
when a special grace descendetl irrto the soul of that wounderl
soldier and made the loye :rnd lovableness of Jesus Christ a
reality to ,him.
The nun had beerr there for sorne time in tho stillness of her
convent chapel. Presetttly she opened her eyes, and to her utter:
anlazenl(rnt sho saw ,lestrs Ohrist standing before her in human
_ form. I{e showed her His Sacred Heart, and }Ie
Paral told her that tho flames of His love for men were
le -l-"'-'
'- Monial
so violent that they could no longer be restrained.
So He had chosen her, Sister Margaret Mary, knowing that she
was, as she declared, t'an abyss of ignorance and weaknessr" for
a great rnission. H.e desired to use he.r as His instrument to en-
kindle in men's hearts the fire of His divine love. Would she
allow herself to be used thus?
No wonder she was overpowered at the divine condescensiora.
No wonder that sho nearly diecl from excess of love and gratitude.
That she, tho most useless and insignificant, nun in the. convent,
shoulil be singled out for a work of such magnitude and grandeur I
ll An<l then, upon her giving her consent, there shot forth from Our
Lord's Sa,cred Heart a ray of fire which pierced her own heart.
Now surely she must have died of love had not Christ sustained
ll
her. Never again could she think of anything except' tha,t Heart
of Jesus. Never again eould she speak of anything, write of an.v-
thing, take an interest in anything except the all-absorbing truth
.that Christ's lovo for men was beyond the power of words to
express, and that mer were indifferent and should be rousecl to
realise the aci.uality of the love of God for their sohls. For
Unrgaret Mary, too, transformation had begun.
Erom all of which it seems clear that thore are moments t'o
which Gocl's Providence has attached the communication of
special graces. You ma5, go along for -vears in sin, like Mag-
<Ialene or Saul, or steeped in worldlirress like Ignatius Loyola,
anal th'en at last God's rnoment arrir-es to lay
--cod's. siege to .r-our sortl. or sott have been trving harrl
Moment to Iot" Christ and io serre Him rvell, but some
dav He r.isits you with a very torrent of graces. Nothi-rng seerrrs
:J
1i: j;:::;il r
. PREACHING CHRIST CRUCIFIED
clearer to you now than that every single obstacle to His complete
reign within you must be swept aside.
This love of IIis is now understood to be so t,rue, so living a
thing, and by comparison everything else is so flekle, so weak
and unstable and languishing, that there arises in your heart a
craving to open the hearts and the minds of othels, blinded as
they are, to see and understand even as you yourself see and
understand. When you hear His appeal for apostles, it dawns
upon you, perhaps by degrees or perhaps all at once, that that
appeal is made to you. Ife wants everybody o help in His work,
and everybody includes you! It is a light, a new impetus, and a
powerful urge comes to fling in your lot absolutely and unreser-
vedly with His. A loving Christ is calling and you want no
more,. If He invites, you have no desire or wish to ask whither.
Now, if there is one place more than another where it is reason-
able to hope for such a transforming grace, that place is the llill
of Oalvary. ['or there is Omnipo,tence taxing its powers in the
- efiort to stun ue into a deeper understanding of
Gracefrom the truth of Gorl's love. " Greater love than
calvary this no man hath that a man lay down his life
for his friends.'" Oalvary is like a great reservoir, the capa.-
city of which is infinite, and in it are stored up "the unsearchable
riches of Ohrist."
Let' the soul therefore come to Calvary and kneel down there
at those bleeding feet. Ilere is the source of all grace. Here is
Christ ready to pour abundantly IIis treasure into the soul, the
only limitation being the soul's power to receive. Saul of Tarsus
went forth to preach Christ, and Him crucified. If the world is to
be saved today, salvation can come only from the Clross. If
grace is to transform inilividual souls and fill thern with an
efficacious desire to become saints, that graco will be given only
to those who strive sincerely to reproduce in themselves the
virtues of a bleetling Ohrist.
Ohrist spoke on Calvary and His wordg came charged with special
graces. Even to this day those words of His retain their efficacy,
for they are divine. They possess a transforming power, and it
behooves us to listen, and listening to understand, and undor-
standing to put, in practice what is enjoined upon uE. Then will
Omnipotcnce be enabled to act, when it, fincls us in fit dispositions.
Grace will allure the soul and try to win her, but never will grace
use force. Ifere on Calvary the persuasive eloquence of divine
PREACHTNG CHRIST CRUCIFIED
grace reaches its climax, and it finds its expression in the seven
last wordg of the dying Saviour.
First lvord: Fathrr forgive them, for thoy know not what
they do.
You will never find an instance of har,shness in Our Irord's
treatment of a repentant sinner'. On the sin itself He was in-
exorable, but for the sinner who avowed that, he was genuinely
ashamed of his base conduct and resolved to amend, for Him
Jesus Ohrist sver ghowed all the compassion and understanding
of a tendor motlror.
ff Nothing is easier than to illustrate this trait of llis character.
A whole, list of His dealings with repntant sinners comes in-
stinctively to mind. There was Magdalene, the woman in the
citv who was a sinner. There was Peter who
denied Hi-', cursing and swearing that he never
"h-"^lf:t:v
of chrlst
{ knew .Him, although only a few hours had
elapsed since he had vehemently affirmed that he would shed his
,s blood for Ohrist, There was the woman of Sarnaria, the woman
taken in adultery, there was Judas even, whom with a tart truly
$ divine He tried to save almost in spite of himself. There was
Ifis mercy towards His corrupt, judges. Witness His warning to
Caiphas and IIis readirress to speak to Fila;te and explain to him
everything he wanted to know. And now here on Calvary there
is yet another instance of this same unfailing mercy. For even
His persecutors I{e prays. They stand around His cross jeering
Him in His dying hour, pointing at him the finger of scorn, but
for them, too, I{e will pray. Father, forgive them.
And His excuse for them ? " They know not what they are
doing." Eut surely IIis mercy and love without precedent should
have taught them ? Could any man who was man, and' no morte,
evince such pat'ience, such tho'ughtfulness for others, such as-
tonishing readiness to forgive as they had witnessed this clay in
Jesus of Na,zareth ? 'Why, then, did they not know Hirn P 'What
was holding thir eyes ?
If friendshi,p wlth Our Lord, following upon esperimental
knowledge of IIim, is to come into its
own and transform the soul,
every ob,stacle must ffrst bb removed. The soul has the fearful power
Thev
'_'-: do
--
action of divine grace, and sin a.nd selfishness
not know
form the brieks and tho mortar and the clay.
Only when those walls ha,vs collapsed, or at least have begun to
5
 PREACHING CHRIST CRUCIFIED
totter, only then will the soul begin to undeistand, from her owt
irrtimrte e"*pe.ien"e, what it is to know Him Who is hanging heire
on Calvary to.daY.
Sin and selfishness how they blind the min<l and harden the
ttuo* t'he influence'o} gracel Look arounil at those
"gulott
.""po".i[f" for t'he cleath of Ohrist and see t'he many manifes-
tat-ions of selfishness that have conspired to bring about this
tralic ending to His life. In Annas and Caiphas selfishness took
the form of an insane hatred and jealousy of Ohrist anil the
po*", H" helcl with the people. If I[e is allowed to go on like
itir, ff" will win t'heir allegiance, and ihe Jewish prieits and
rulers will b'e out of the picture. They had said as r-nuch:" Do
you seo ihatlu,e prevail nothing? Boholtl, the whole world is gone
after Him." Selfishness in Annas and Caiphas took the form of
an ungovernable jealousy, and thoy swore to put Him to death'
In pontius Pilate selfishnoss manifested itself under the garb of
uiarrery to the opinion of the world. lfhis unfortunate man knew
r".y w"ll that His Prisoner was inrrocent" He doclared this opnly'
rYhat Holds be clear. If the Man is innocent, let IIim go
our Ey03 free at once. But would ihatplease the world?
Pilate might anger the Jews. Pilat'e might lose t'he favour of Oaesar'
At aII costs he must keep on good terms with those in power"
So he has to resort to a series of sha,meful stibterfuges-sending
Our Loril to Herod, sco'urging Hirn with savage severity, put'ting
IIim up against, Barrabas.' All this he does in the vain efiort to
keep himself on good terms wiih theworld. Selfishness in Pilate's
case was synonymous with worldliness.
Herod too was selfish. No more need be saiil 'of this clissolute
prince than that, he was a slave to the unclean sin. Plsasure was
I{erod,s idol, before which Christ refused to bend. Herod could
not argue *ith C,h.i*t. No defence of his life was possible, so he
just laughect at Ohrist as being out-ofdate and sent Him away'
The atmosphero was uncomfortable with this Man about. IIerod's
reeking soul could not enduro contact with the imma.culate Christ'
He would not argue: hewould not, try to putup a defence (as
Pilate and the others tried to ilo). Ile preferred to smile indul-
gently. The Man is a simpleton' Take Ilim away and let llerod
Eo on with his fun! Irnpurity is the very enthronement of selfish-
ness in the heart.
Lastly, there is the mob around the ilying Ohrist' They have
6
PREACHING CHRIST CRUCIFIED
been goaded to this aot of deicide because they have permitted
themselves to be duped by blind guides. They refuse to stop
and think and reason for themselves. They are victims of Iying
propaganda. " They do not know," because they, too, are oaten
up with selfishness. " We will not have this Man to rule over
us." WhyP Bocause their leaders hate Him, and they have
promised mob rich rewards if they succsd
AI:y.Ylth in slayingtheIIim. It is selfishness again that is
chrlstt .".por".ibl". The crowd listens and believes
these specious prsmises. If these, are fulfilled, things will go
well indoed with the mob. Wle'refore let Christ die. Away with
Him I Crucify Him !
Jealousy, worldliness, impurity, credulity-four forms of sel-
fishness which condemned Ohrist to cleath. Notice, in passing,
the striking contrast in Our Lord. Already we have dwelt upon
IIis mercy and thought'fulness for others. Even His enemies on
Calvary bear unwitting test'imony to His unselfishness. "He
saved others, Himself IIe canrrot save !"
Sn it is selfishness that blinds men's eyes thus. "Father, for-
give them, for they do r.ot lcrwo." And selfishness is blinding them
today. First of all, there is jealousy and hatred. You will never
taste and see that the Lord is sweet trs long as
-I won't
-:" -- you in your heart bitterness against
Forglvol "your harbour
neighbour. i'A. loog as you did it to one
of these, you did it to Me." You are estranged from anotherP
You say you will not forgive ? You will never salute that pe.rson
again? Granted that you were treated unjustly. Glrantecl that
lying tongues defamed you. Gt'anteil that, perjury wronged you
out, of your prope.rtv.
All that was dons to Ohrist, and His vengeance.was to pray:
f,'ather, forgive them. As long as you cherish feelings of resent-
ment towards anybod,y, you a,rs separated from Christ. He is
in that person-so unjust, so thoughtless, so selfish. ,'You did
it to Me." Irct the streams of His blood flowing f,rom Oalvary
to-day break down the barrier of jealousy and uncharitablenesg
and tlo will enter deeply into the soul. Then you will ,,know,,
I{im-not out of books or sermons, but from your own intimate
erperience. Selfishness was holding your eyes, but now with for-
giveness comes light to see and to know and to understand a
little bet"ter, the strength and sincerity of Christ's love.
Pilate was fflled with the spirit of worldliness, and there are

PREACHTNG CHRIST CRI'CIFIED
hra.ry Pilates abroad to-day. What is tlte rrr'ce of grlea*ure excepr
worship of the worldf No tirne fe1 (lhrist, or rleep p.rayer trccause
there a,re soma,ny things to do: sornanv sltows or danecs or finms"
Even if seriots sin be avoided, how cilrl ll,tlv r'rit,llo man e"xpect t$
know Christ, and to love Ll,irn an<l to rrlrliso Him, if nife is a
oea.seless chasing after amusement? N0 tltttt has a worcl !o say
against reasonable recreation, but tlle ovi(l{}rl(,e is a,brrnilant tllat
pleasure-seeking is fast tending to absor'[r blte whol" life of nran.v
of our people. The result is tha,t, (iorl nrld His servic'e are ro-
garded more or less as an intel'fol('tlco, an inoonvenient' and irk-
some dut-v to be got through wilir th<, tninimurn of time and
trouble.
Little the-r- suspect, thesc votalios ol the worlcl, the deep joy
they are missing. t'They do not l(ttow " 'l'Le.1' f11na'' that" pas-
siona,be devotion to ohrist lDrrst sorrroltOw lrrr a, bttt'tlon, " Ileing
- god always" tttttst' lxr il lxrllnn<lel llhe o'nl-v hap-
Worldlincss [iro.. th"y know rnrl lra,vo ex1rct'ietrce of comes
ln me
frotrr the world. ll' olllv they would give grace a
chance to teach them the tlifles with which t'hey are satisfied
antl bhe soli,l pt'aco the.v ale losing ! I
The begirrnings of every science are difficult' You carr recall,
perhaps the ptrinful ha,rnmoring out' of scales and exercises oti'
ihu piuro, oi' thu lab'oured seDtences of your first' essays irl
writing. But as you grow proficient, ease comes and pleasure,
and finally an absorhing int'erest.
This is exactly the course, too, in the science of knowing and
loving C rrist.
ilt i" the first step that oount's," t1e Little rlower
has Jritten. 'llo brea,k with the world you lovo will probabl5' be
despelatoly hard. Deliberately to ttrrtt your baek
The First ,,,, ,r,"r,y a clilnce or .itroma', :rttd ittsLtrlxl to make
step a Holv Hottr, ot'visit lr slttnl lltrttr, t'r rvork for
souls itr your Sodalitv or T,llgiotr-ttttt a' bit rlt't'rllt:tive to your
na,tural taste. But" try it. At presunt sr>lfishnoss is hlinding you.
At ptesent, selfishness has vit'iaierl yortt taste. l)rrl in thc sworttr
e,ourageously and cut out this cauker seifisiltltrss, :tnll see how
you will then come to know Ohrist. It is the 6r'st sttlr tlrtrt counts'
Sec,ond Word: Lord, remember me when Thou shalt come lnto
Thy kingdom.
En.erybocly strffers, at least sornetinles, ft.tlttl dellt't,ssiott.
Tlre
defi[itiort of it s0ettrs sttper'lluous.
rlisease. is so universal t,hat
PREACHING CHRIST CRLTCIFIEI)
Tines tlu,rt, ale when eyerything goes wrong. Normally, vou
Downhoartod nu
, a,re easy enough to get on with and people have
fllmcult.l' ln ('olDlng to Vou ln Ine c0ulse ol
business or r(,crea,tion. But when you are depressed you artr
inclined to lre snappy and irritable, and lour friends leave l,orr
$'ondet'irtrr n'lraL ha.s happened. Usually you take a healthv
interest irr voul work, and it is a pleasure to you to settle down to
a good harrl qrind. At notrnul times you can concentrate, but u-herr
this tleprcssir>rr sottlos upon you it is only with an a,Imost super'-
hun:r.n cffolt llurt you drag jourself into your shop o,r sit at your
desk. Yotr cilnnot rvell sa.-; u'ha.t you want, to do instead, hut, if
you would be peevish and restless. You are
1.ott rtllou'crl .1'orrrself,
in a rnuotl to clo,ubt if anything is worth while. Normally voLr are
fonrl oi' :r game or a hard tramp into the country or you c:rn
enjoy an evening with your: friends. But, since this feeling of de-
pression has fallen upolr yo,u, you want to be left alone, and pos-
sibly 5'our friends' efforts to arouse your interest only irritate yorr
the more.
A time of depression has great possibilities to make or to mar
i
i
youl spilitual life. Nothing is easier rrt such a period than r,o
pitch aside all effort, to forget all one's goocl resolutiols, and, like
- a spoilt child, to pout and stamp one's foot rrt
Wlrat's the Lhe u'rlltl i,, g.n*.u1. N.rlring is easier th;rrr
use? even to fling oie's self rerklessll. into serious sin
at such a time in orcler by such a. course to tr.y to find the satis-
faction one is craving for. It was a,ll very rn'ell in the fervo,ur of
.your retreat or mission to ma.ke grand promises and to resolvc
to be all bhat -vou i<nou. a fervent C:rtholic should be. But nou'
that this ilisease has come, an.d, it would seem, has come to stay,
-you ar' reacl-v to yield one point after another. \\that's the ust'?
Others all around vou a.re having a good time. They sin freely
and seem to enjoy it. lYhy do you r.ant to ma.iie an exception of
\rourself
- ?
On the other hand, a per-iod of depr:ession can be a deciderl lilt
to highet things in my spiritual lif.e . It teaches me to looli belos'
the surfat'e nrrd read life u.ith the eles of Jesus Ohrist. Thi:r
sense of dissatisfaction u'ith evervthinq :rnd evervone, rr}rat elsc
i:; it but a lllost cogent argument that I aln nade fot something
,I
higher thrrr this rvolld? T crr often give no reason to rnvself
,!i for mv clepression. I'eople are kind to me, mrr lvork is said to be rr
success, mr health \v:rs nevcr better:, I hear qood nes's of thosu
r$,
s'ho are deal to me. And vet, with it:rll. tht,r'e is this rtnaccorrr-
rJ
t
#
I#
fi
T,
l': l

\
PREACHING CHRIST CRUCI}'IED PREACHING CI{RIST CRUCIFIED

table fit of weariness with life and this constant restlessness and only when it has tasted and tried sin t'ha.t it finally gives Him,a
apparent inability to settle down to work o,r play or prayer. [s chance of pouring into it, thesweetness and the hippiness it has
there an explanation ? sought. "Who,m wilt thou find to love ignoble thee, save Me only
Yes, there is. If their is no infiilelity with which I have to Me" ?
reproach myself, if I havo trieil all the while to be faithful to my It is hele precisely that Our Lord's love proves itself so im-
ideals of p,rayer and generosity in God's service, and if, in spite of measurably superior to the love of everybody else. Reject a
,. this, I a,m crushed down by this load, I arn safe. human friend and normally the friendship is severed forever. I
A Rastless
'- rn assuring myself that the load has been mea- have spurned his o'fier of love and have gone for
-'----"----
Heart Jesus is
eured out and placed iupon my shoulders by the
Difierent
years seeking other friendships. I cannot go
hand of God. There is a deep lesson here for me. Trhe Lord'Who back to him now-no, not to a rnerely human
loves rne would teach me and convince me.that nothing can satisf): friend. But the friendship of Christ is different. He will have
me at any. price and at (Disappointed
iny heart except Him a,lorre. any time. I may be
That was the lesson learned by the Proiligal Son. It was oul.v u-ith the world.and sin. disillusioned I may be by its specio'us pro-
in his hour of depression that he came to know his father. It rvas mises; depressed I may be and weary of the burden of life. That
not until he had reached the squalor of the pigsty that he realised is often Christ's moment. It was at a moment like this that the
his mistake. " I{ow many servtntg in ny father's house, and f thief saw the light, It
was on the cross that he lea.rned to seek
the son am here famishing with co,ld and hunger. I will arise a,nrl Christ. It was when all else had turned to ashes that, he under-
go to my father !" It was the sa,rne depression tha.t brought back stood at last whore to seek and to find a friendship that would
the repentant thief here on Calvary. " Lord, do' Thou remember endure. And it was after a life of ingratitude, after a life in
me." It was, i.f you will, a poor complirnent to the Lord that the which he had sought and tried out every means of finding happi-
thief called to Him only after he had drunk to the dregs the in ness apart frmn Christ, it was only at the end that Christ came
toxications of the world and found them ;unsatisfying. When a,l'l into His own.
else had failed he trurned to,Ohrist. Lord, remember me. He hacl And the vastly eonsoling truth is that Christ arcepts him, even
wearied of all that sin co'uld give him. He had le.arned that sil no#. " This dav thou shalt be with Me in Paradise." A sen-
is misery indeed. Perhaps Christ could satisfy. Perhaps He after tence that surely Iilled the repentant thiel' with joy. Bqt the
all held the sec,ret of happiness. The thief would try, at least. joy rvas scarcely without alloy. The calamity of it that life is
Lord, remember me. Everything else has turned to ashes. gone and he has discovered Christ onl.t1 nou!
We could never drearr. of treating a hum.an friend like this.
Suppose he offers me his friendship and f roject it. Instead I go
Third.lYord: Bhold thy ]ylother! Behold thy son.
my way and 6nd that I in turn am also uuwantd by those for
lVhen whom I rejected lim. Years pass by and I have The Blessed Trinity conferred a marvellorus privilege on Mary of
Fr:endshlps been all the while mnresponsive. All the rvhile Nazareth when thoy sent the angel to ask her to consent to be
Fail I have somght other friendships anil have delibe- God's Mother'. But it is far from the trmth to imagine that the
rately he,ld myself aloof from him. Suppose it is only after a life divine maternity implied an honour only. Our
Maty'8 L'ady knew wetl that her "fiat" would entail a life
like this, when I am unwanted by o,thers, when I have all these , Fiat ',
years been turning my back on him, suppose it is only when there of suffering. AII through those years since the
is nobody olse to fall back .upon that I no,w turn to my friend and ras being asked for sacrifice,
Incarnation she was ol Cal-
a.y or
sacrifice. and to-da.v
accept his friendship and love. But if even now he will have me, vary she is placing the crown on her offering.
if even now he is glad to receive me, I may indeed congratulate Behold thy Mother. What is ttrat Mother doing P "Thene stood
myself on having fo'und a friend whose friendship is almost unique. by the Cross of Jesus His Mother." Round about her are the
Tha.t is the theme of Francis Thompson's pom, " The Hound jeering crowds hurling their taunts at her dying Son. And Our
of fle,aven." All those years the soul has fled Christ, a.nd it is Lady stands there, as a priest might stand, ,underneath the cross

IO 1l
 PREACHING CHRIST CRI]CIFIED
offeling her Sorr a,sa Yictim for sin. Here is tire culmination of
her "fiat." Ovenvhelmed as she is rvith grief she will not wince.
Sin has to be atouecl for and Mary odfots Clrrist. Such a Yictim,
offered by such hands must sulely find arr:optarrro in God's sight.
Even as the priest at Nlass offers the }Iost untl t,he Chalice in
repatation, so does Mary stand hete and ofier tlto pr'{ryers and the
wounds of her divine Son.
The taunts and btrasphemies uttered on Calvary Iirrd a ringing
eoho in this trventieth century. As rl,e write, the world is dtenched
in the blood of the most frightful war known to history. IXurope
is a slaughter house. I{ow much sin rnust neces-
:'--:- sa.r'rl-y follorv in the trail of this carnage. How
-:-'--
wo Live ln much hatred, and blasphemy, and immorality;
how many thous.r"nd lives lost; what destruction to property ; what
passions let loose. And, even apart from the rvar', who can reckon
up the sins tommitted in a city like this in even one night ? 'We
are gathered around the Cross of the dying Christ. lVlaks no
nristake about it, befor:e another sun rises o,ver l)ublin, Christ will
be offended by crimes which St. Paarl tells us shoruld not be even
mentioned amongst ns. You u'ill soon step out of this Church and
;rou knorv the world in which you l,ivo. You know the restless
element that is abroad. You see for yourselves the loo,sening of
morals, the little regard to God's warnings, the break-up of home
life, the heartlessness towards Christ's poor, the neglect of prayer.
Do not tell me about our crowded Chulches, our zealous
aposiolate; do not cite for me exarmples of generous self-sacrifice.
For all that s-e thank God and gratefully acknorvledge that it is so.
But what is to be said a.bout those who do not crowd our Chrrrches?
What of tJrose who crowd instead into our cinemas and clanc'e halls:
n hat of those rvho cl'owd into our County llomes, who crowd our
loads at rright time ? Speak about the activities of our splendid
Catholics if vou rvill, but do not forget that Satan, too, has his
agents. l)o not fa.il to reckon thoso whose lives are pampered anrl
lazy and selfish. [f you think they are few, you do not knov'the
folce of the jrrels uttered on Calvary that is finding an echo itt
our niclst to-day.
l!Irr,n1' (latholi(is seem to be under the impression that the servit.e
of Jesus Chlist is a negative thing merely. It seems to thern tb.ab
if they keep from sin and its occa.sions and ,ultmately escape hell,
that is all that should be expected from thern.
Behold Thv Of course, it is of the first importance, to do that
.lulother much, aocl the rvords of Our Lorcl have so far im,
pressed upou us the absolute need of hreaking forever with sin
12
PREACHING CHRIST CRUCIFIED
and all that leads to sirr. But now there comes the positive
lesson. Nolr cornes tho answ-er to that dynamic q,uestion that has
revolutionised so many Iivei: W'hat am I going to do for Christ?
What? Christ answers by telling me to look at His lVlother.
Behol<l thy llrlother. Here on Ca,lvary she is"ofiering Him as a
Yictinr for sin. That offering made adequate reparation for the
sins of all tirne. It was infirrite in val,ue, and as a result of it thero
are stored rrp on Calv.ary the "unsearchable riches of Christ." The
soul may ih'aw near and draw off from these fountains of the
Sa,viour.
But wlut of the cri,mes of these present days ? Our Lord can
no longer suffer in His human Body for the sins that are being
hurled against His Father to-day. But He can sufier in His
Filling up mystical Body, which is oomposed of the menr-
in My bers of llis Church, Anfl that is the positive side
Flesh . . . of the spiritual life. That is St. Paul's sublime
concept wherr he writes: "I fiII up in my flesh those things tha't
are rvanting to the sufierngs of Christ." It is not enough merely
to avoid sin and esc,ape hell. Ile warrts to do something positive
in proof of his burning love for Christ "W'ho loved me and
' delivered Himself for rne."
On Calvar5', they mncked Him as they are rnoching Him to-day.
On Calvarr', Mary stood offering Ifim on the Cross in reparatiorr
for sin. Mary still stands u'aiting for victims who will go on the
cross will,ingly and allow her to offer them, as part
Bslrold Thy of Christ's mystical Body, in reparation for the
Son
heinous crimes that are surrounding us to-day.
It is a sublime vocation. It is to reproduce the victirnhood of Christ
in our sinful flesh. On ()alvary, Mary's first \rictim prayed and
suffeled. He who would present himself to her in place of her
Son mnst prep.lre, too, for a Iife of prayer ald suffering. By such
mea.ns Christ expiated sin on Calvary. By these it must be ex-
pia.ted to-da-v. Who is u.illing to come to Mary and say to her:
Behold thy son?
Fourth Word: My God, My God, why has Thou forsaken Me?
It seems likeiy that this w'otd of the dying Christ was ;utter.erl
after that qtrange darkness had oovered the oarth. For thc
greater palt ol three hours our Saviour hung there in a state of
tolture that baffles our powers of imagination to conceive, and norv
this dakness descends uporr Him and arcentuates His feeling of
iomplete isolation and loneliness. It is vrell u'orthy of note that at
13
 PREACHING CHRIST CRUCIFIED
Ilis remedy is prayer. The pathetic cry
such an hour of loneliness
breaks out over the hill of Ch,lvary and sends its echo into the
darkness : My God, my Goil, why hast I'hou forsaken Me
?
It is easy enough to pray when consolations a,bound. Often at
the outset of the spiritual life the soul is inundated with a
heavenly joy, Everything seems so simprle, sanctity is so rea.son-
a,ble, the cross is so loved. It is difficult to understand why all
do not see and understand the love of Christ
Aridlty for them,and why they do not make Him a fltting
reiurn. \Yhen the soul is in the state of swoet-
ness and apprecia.tes thus the value of the srupernatural, there is
nothing more na:tural than that she should find in prayer her chief
delight.
But if she persevores, a change will plobably come to her.
Presently the sweetness will begin to evaporato. St. PauI wrote
to the Corinthians:
.trecause
gave yoru milk to drink, not meat,
"I
you were rrot able as y1." In the beginning of the soul's journe-v
Godwards, on the road of pra,yer, God generally allures het to
Iove of divine things by givirrg her "milk" of seusible sweetness.
As she progresses lfe will ofier her the msa.t of the strong. IIe will
withdraw from her all taste and delight in the things of the'
spiritual life, and, like Jesus on Calvary to-d'ay, she will be in-
clined to complain and cry out: "My God, my God, why hast
Thou forsaken lfe?"
I{as He forsaken her actually? Not at all. Prayer does not
consist in sweetness but in converse with God. In'order that a
soul may erter into "holy familiarity 'with God" she must be
Now at first she is a,ttached, although
Fo:tTgs purifred.
she does not know it, to this sensiblo swetness.
-
oon't Gount She believes she wants it only that it may help
her Godwards, but in reaiity she is loving, not so,much God, as
this sweetness w,hich God is giving her. In order to train her ro
rise above this feeling, God takes it away, when she has grown
somewhat in spiritual Btrength.
How will she react P It is of paramount importance at a time
Iike this, that she understands clearly that her policy must be to
rrrake no change whatever in her spiritual life or iu her resolutions.
Let her tmrn baok to creatures now--to the world, to comfort in
gossip, o,r cinema, or dance hall, or news-to any of the thousand
things which she has seen are hinderances to her progress, though
they are not sins. Let her at a time of trial like this go back again
to the good things lhe world has to offer her, and she may mar I
T4
- PREAC}IING CHRIST CRUCIFIED
Iife of holiness. lVluch depends on her fidelity in this period of
dryness. Josrrs prayed in the darkness. Let her do the same and
she will $(lv{uxro mr.rro in the l,ove of God and in solid spiritruality
at a time like bhis than when she is abounding in sweetness.
More thun this. If she will but holil on, the sweetness will
return, as soon as the Lord sees that she has been parrified. But
it will rrot bo the same. It will be deeper, mor.e soul-satisfying,
because now, on account of her greater purity,
seoklng.only she can dra.w nearer to the sourrce of all purity.
God Hence her prayer after this period of appare.rt
ilerelictiorr thas gone through a cleansing process. She seeks God
alone now rvhereas before she sought His gifts.
It would be very easy to illustrate this from the lives of the
saints. 'fhey beca.me saints through the cross, and the form
the <.rrrss most often took was j,ust the dereliction of Calvary.
Long periods of utter dryness, during which it would have been
so simple a matter to let go their holcl upon the spiritual life,
were crowned by the triumph simiilar to that which shone out after
the tragody of Calvary had been oonsummated.
It is rrot sweetness in pra;ier that makes saints, but, lhe ad-
herence of the will to God. And the most searching test of this
loyalty of the will is given. whon darl<ness colers the face of God.
-in Calvary taught the saiuts to pray at such a tima
..Pr1ver. with ail the greater earnestness and beoause they
the Darknoss learnecl that hard lesson, they rejoiced later in
a fiuller possession of God.
Fifth Word: I Thirst.
When Our Lord rl'as kneeling in Gethsemani last night, Ile
prayed that the chalice might pass from Him. It was indeed a
bitter clra,iice. The evangelists tell us that tihere were threo
- insredients in ii. "IIe began to be afraid"; "IIe
^ ..ii . began to be weary," or filied witih loathing,anit
Gethsemani
--":-""-"'
disgust; "He began to be sorrowfiul and to be
sad." tr-oar, disgust and sadness are thus the contents of IIis
chalice. Fear filled His Hea.rt beoause-of the near approach of
I{is sufferings. Disgust seized upon His immaculate soul beoause
of that slimy spectre rvhich issued from the shadows, whode name
is sin. And sadness crusihed Him to earth last night becaruse, irr
spite of all Ile was about to suffer, souls would be iost.
15
 PREACHING CHRIST CRI.JCIFIED
Still He took the chalice although.He had to force Ilimself, arrd'
now on Calvary He ileclares trhat He thirsts. It w'orild seem as
if the dving Saviour rvould tr'us exprsss His rvillingness and His
eagerness to drink even n"rore deeply still of that bitter chalice
which at first He fountl so hard to accept. Last night He playecl:
l'ather, if it be possible,, remove this chalice. To-day he tells t'he
Father: I thirst. Not only has He clrunk the <rhalice, but, if the
Father wiiled, EIe woruld drink more de,eply of suffering still.
It is God's way never to allow Himself to be outdone in gene-
rosity. It is beyond question tha:b Lhe close following of Our Lor',1
will entail the acceptance of har:d t'hings. This condition He will
- not, tone dowrr. "If any man will come a,ftel Me,
A H-ard let him denv himself, tahe up his cross daiiy antl
saying follorv Me.'i Ml,nv hcar this and pass Him by.
It is a hard sitying, nnd thcy oa,trrtttt hring themselves to believe
rh'rt [iis fellowship is worLlr it.
But ther:e:r.r'o otlters who stop to listcrt. 'l'hey lrear Him invite
them to a life of sacrifice, and little by little, perhaps at a cost
of many a sti{f battle rvith se1f, tltey <:onte ultimately to a stace
when they live a life of ha,bitual sacrifice. As
This is they drarv near tou'ards this happy consum-
Freedom ! motion, they make a disco'very that s,urprises
them. It is that the more they "go in" for sacrifice, the ha,ppier
they becorne. Jrust as Our Lord experienced a thirst for eveir
greater sufferings, did the Father so will, so they too discovet:
that the oross and suftering, lovingly accepted, so far from embit-
tering lheir lives and making them unhappy, prove rather to be
the highroad to an intense gladness of heart rvhich before this the;'
never experienced. lt is Our Lord's generosity. Tho mo,ment they
givo up'anything for love of Him, He rewards them witih a wonder'-
ful sense of freedom. A chain has snapped, They feel that the.r'
are emancipated from a tyrariny that was holding them captive.
When they broke the chain, they entered at once into the free-
dom of the children of God.
Our Lord refusecl +"he vinegar and gail u'hic,h would have robbed
Him of this precious suffering. So the soul which has discovered
the joy of sacrifice, so far from rvanting 'relaxation,. regards
suffering ra.ther as her greatest gain, for it a.flords her an oppor-
tunity of proving hel love for Chrisi. And it afiords l{irn an
excuse to pour into the soul a joy not of this earth.
This sublime folly is learned at the feet of Christ on Calvary.
When St. Jolrri or" the Cross was asked b5' Our Irord rvhat rewarcl
16
, I'RIiACI{ING CHRIST CRUCIFIED
he rvanterl lirr rrll lrc had done in Gotl's servil.e, he answeretl:
AtTlI.T!,tht.. "Orrlv to be despisd and to, suffer for Thee!"
Wherr St. Francis Xavier knelt in prayer at the
Challo. r.lost' ol a.n exha.usting day of toil, in ]ris nrissions,
he was hoa,rtl lo t.r'.y o,ut: "Inord, withdraw theoe consolations frour
me and givo rrro the cross and sufiering." This is, if you like,
"unnattrt'u,1." llotter, it is supefnatura.I. Grace can effect marvc.ls
on naturo rvlrcrr given the opportunity. Let the soul, like Chrisc
in Gethst'rtrn,rri, steel herself to grasp the chalice and drink it, aud
when sho lrrrs <lrrunk she will still cry out, again like Hirn: I thirst.
I woul<l srr{l'trr still more, seeing that suffering o'pens the wav to
such intirnu,rlv with Chrisf,.
Sixth UYord: lt is consummated.
This word was spoken just before Our Lord died. After He hacl
uttororl it,, Jesus, bowing down His head, gave up the ghost. Ifence
the nrost natural interpretation to give to His wo,rd is that it refers
to ,His life, which has now at last corne to a
' Glorifyint
God
close.
That hfe is a perfect life. IIe has li,vetl it in
the mauner most sutely cah.rtrlated to give the
tna,.rim,um glory to Elis eterlal X'ather. l\{an's task, too,, is to give
glory to Clod by his lifo, and, since this was done in the nrost pet'-
fect way by Our Lord, it follou's thtt the, rnortr olosel.y miln r.epro-
duces Christ,'s life in his owrr, the rnore por.furtly he too will glor.ifv
God.
And that is the teaching of the saints, arid rrottbl.y ol St Paul.
The greet apostle never rvearies of impressing upon us that Christ
is the model Whom we have to reprodruce in ourselves. "My litlle
children for whom I am in labour again until Christ be fashioned
in you." "Be ye imitators of me as I am of Christ." "Always
bearing about iri our bodies the mortifi:cation of Jes,us." These a.re
a few texts w*rich come instinctively to mind as illustrative of the
centrarl idea of Pa,uline theology, sc. that a Christian must repro-
duce Ohrist's life in himself.
Now, th,is life which is ending here has trno phases, and it is
really ono o{ these lvhich is "consummated" on Calvary. There
is the suffering phase, and thero is the glorious phase. When trhe
suffering phase ends for Him the clouds part, the
Partins of- sun
l--"'-::- :-
the0louds triumph shrneg through once more and Jesus entrs irl
.-. heaven and..-begins the second phase
into
of Llis life. This wili continue througho,ut the endless ages ol'
eternity.
t7
 PREACHINO CHRIST CRUCIF1ED
And at present thoy rvho are Chr.ist's :rre engaged on the task of
reproducilg the lirst part of His life. 'l'hat is why there is nothing
more reasonable than to exp-ect tro:rtnr<rrrt in this rvorld similar to
rvhat I{e 6xperienced. "Wonder not, brethren,
The chisel of if the *'orkl hate you." '(Yrrr :rre not of the world
Sufiering as I also am not, of tho worltl. If you had been
of the u'olld, the rvorld lr'<>uld love its owrr. lhrt because )'ou arc
not of the world, but I have chosen.yorr orrt of t,he world, there-
fors the world hateth 1,ou." 'Ilhat is thrr Iirst part for the
Christian, Hence, while ihe is hero, lro lrxrlis rrrrt for hardship
ancl suffering and contradiction anrl povert.y, lt srrcrns ilr him the
inost natural th'ing in the rvorld to lr:r,vtr t,lrtst thirrgs, for it is by
these that,he is to bo fashioned 111;l,orrlirrg fir l,htr Nlrxlel. "Sufier-
ing," rrlites St. John o[ t]re (iross, "is tlrt, harlgt ol' t]rose v.ho
love. "
But it, is rrot all toiling tr> (lalvar'.\'. 'l'lrrrrrr is l,lr{r se({)nd phase
too, to be reproduced, \Yhcrr blx' sorrl Irirs lollorvotl llim l:rithfiuily
throughout the shrrnc ir,ltd lrrrtnilatiotts ol O:tlvat'.y, Ior it, too, as
fol its llodel, the r"lrxrtls p:tt'1, ltntl Lltortr is l,lto rvottrlet'lttl rve]rome
home. "Wcll rkrno, gorxl :lrul l'rribhllrrl scrvtrrtt!" It is tho glorious
phase, the su'ontl part of llis lilo, that now begins ili thnt soul,
rnd. as in ilis cusc, that secolrd pzrrt s'iil go on throughoui
eternity. Il pt oportion to the ficlelity with which it has been
fashioned in the lval' of suffering and humiliation, in the same will
now be its shnte in the second part of the life of the l'Iodel.
"It is consummated" can refer, too, to the love of Jesus Ghrist,
for a soul. Tirnes there are n-hen, during the perio.d while we are
followirrg FIim to Calvnry, r,r'e feel footsore and wea,ry lnd almost
ready to think that all r'eligion is a malio-believe.
teventy Times But at a time Iike that if we oome lnrl kneel
seven Times clown here, 14' are cheered and errrxrrrragecl at
once. Why? Because Jestts Christ on Calvary has done all that
an omnipotent love can do to pl'ove iisclf . As Ele looks dorvn into
tire soul there at His feet, IIe sees its most set'rct sirrs-all the
brohen resolutions, all those others it has ied into sirl, aII the
sat'r'iligeorrs Colnmunions, the impurities, the drutrkt:tlness. Sueh
a terriblo catalogue of vice ! Yet, knowing all about that poor
sonl and her evil ways, IIe tells her that His }Ieart loves still, antl
still is rt'ad1'to forgive.
Ife cannot do more than He is doing here on Calva.ry to assure
the repent:tut sinner that, eren rf her sins be red as scarlet, He is
anxious to make them white as sno$'. Here is the t'consum-
18
t,l{1,:.\( ilt\(: ( ilRts't' ( Rt'( ltrlED
mttiort " ol' loyr,. ll ('rlvrur' Irrils lo r.,,r,viltct' rue oI His letdirrcss
to lttrgivt', l,lrr,rr otrrtrilr,,lr,rrl lorr,r':rn rlo rro nrore. .lle is lt llit,trrl,
ildeed, irrrtl lr,lrrllilr irr llirrrscll l,lrrrl, glultl rlc{irritiou ol't 1r'itrrrr'|,
"a, matt \r'lro l\noNr r,r,,r'r't,lrirrrq rrlrorrL rne ancl loves rrc jlsl, tlre
sa nte.' '
Seventh Wor(l! lnlo Thy lrands, O Lord, I commend my stririt.
I)ea.llr is:r lnrr'rll\. rrrrrl il is usclt,ss l'or rrs to tlr to rob ilr ol il.s
telrols. 'l'r'1 rr, rr,.rrr:rr', l,lrc It'rrr'[,rri issrrcs that ale in tlre lrirlarrt:o
at thrl, rnonrr,rl lill rrs rlillr rllearl. If l am at tlt'a,tih whut, I orrghb
t,,r lrr'. tlttrtt tn1' eterllal dt,stin)' is secttt'c; ii at
F:'1.:I rl,.rrrlr I rrrr {r)nn(l ururtirrg, m1'lile, ulrrrtevr,r'it
Doath
rrr:rl hirye lrer,n in t]rc oles of nrorr, i,s nol- provetl
to ltr, rrtt rrilr,r' lrrilrrrt'. "\Vhdt rloth it irrolit a nrtn il he' gain l,he
u lrolc u orki rt rrrl loso lris soul ? Or rrlrat shall .r rnu n givo irt
r,xclrirtrllr, 'lol ilris sorrl ?
,'\1,llrt'ilcnl.lr of (lhlist I crrrrrot lnrir be inrPlosscrl bv thc r.on-
Iitlt.trl, asstn'rttco rillr ii'lricli llt' prrsscs orrt, ol tlris *'olld. Sorrr,'
t,itttt'rgo Ile rrricrl l;o llis l,'r1,lrr,r'ts ii in rlosl>lrir', lnrt not'tlrll lrus
rull lrlrssr.rl tru rrl', lrtrrl I lC sP0rrlis u ii,lr Iorrlirlr,rrr'r. :rrrrl rt itlr pIrrIo.
"lrrlo'l'lr,t'luurrls, O l,orrl, I cotrrttrlntl NIv spiril,."
'l'ltis r,orrlirk,nr.o ol' Our' l,orrl i" :rl olr, tr irr.r.orrrricrl lirr. u'.lrcrr r.r,
lecall tltrr inviolitblrr litlt'lit,v rvit,lr rrlrir.lr llr,rlitl tlrr,lfrrtlror''s \\'ill.
That Will rr.as the t'rrle ol llis lili,. "'l'lrr,i,lrirrgs i;lr:rt irlo ploirsirrg
to Jlv I,'at'lrt.r I alu lls (1o." llcrtcc, n'lrt'rr l-[e'
No.Anxiety 1,,,,1<e,l l,r,.k 1r',,rrr ( rrlrirll orr,r.tlr.sr'{lriltr'-tlrrr'o
if . . .
)'cars, I-le conlcl see rloallv thlt in or.olltlrirg
He rlid or left unclone, irr. all thrt Hr: sticl ol rlid not srl.v, in His
jotrt'treysor rotirenent-tlrlorghorrt'cll orre rinlr- guide tletelrninetl
His actions-t,hc \\'ill o,i' t:tis llternal I,'ather. \\'ell, thelt lor.,,
nriglrt He surlr r]p J:l is iil'e b]' sa.ving: "I'at]rer, I hrvc frrrished t]rr:
riotli rvltich ll'hou grrr-est 1[e to tlo, auc[ non' I r,orne to Tlrt'c."
Thrrte is rro anxietl'. Ilholt, is thc corrfident ilssulan( t,hat nll is
woll, fot'the tlutifrrl Son h:rs done cxur,tlv tvhat tlrc lr'.rb,hel st'nt
Hirn into tire u-or'ld to <lo. l:lerrcc ll is dvitrg rvor.tl is a sho,rrt o{
vi<,tory, 1'or to st,r'ye (lrxi is to loign.
(-lan death Le robh<,il ol its tcn'or.s? [[anl flierrds of Gorl ]ravo
gone to nleet.Jeath u'ith l smilc of jo1, on tLeir'l'rces. What is
the csplarration of thcir oorrfrlerrr.r,? 1t is hrrilt lp on thc samo as-
sul'ance that accounts lo,' tlte corrlirlerrce o[ (]ihlist. Lilio Hilr, tlre
faithful setvant has tlorre (iocl's \Yill, thorqh tot itrtlee'rl rrith the
19
 PREACHING CHRIST CRUCIFIED

srme exa(.tness. Thcre have been failrrres, many of them perhaps,

. . . I Have but at least the desire ard the efiort have been
Done kept up, and the trustfirl soul knows in Whom she THE PASSION
God's Will is trusting. Little does it rnatter to her ou her
r deathbecl that she has been popular, or tnuch travelled, that she The Sacrod Passaon of Our Lord. Ii Rev. J. lla'horr.r" S"l'
has lrad a "good tir4e," that, she lived in lrelantl or at tho anti-
podes-all that simply ceases to matter, One fact only will com- Scenes from the Passion. l\' llev. J. llcl)onrrell. S 'l
folt her: one thought only will snstain her-that slre cnn lift up
her eyes until thev meet the eyes of Ohrist, and can say, Iiko Him, l" r'rtttt tht [,utin of 'lt. lillnrl
Tho Sovon Last Wor'ds.
that she has tried consistently to do God's Will in her special li,/l,l tttitt,. ,\'.,1 . []r. Ilcv. llohert N:rsh, S.J.
state of life. lVith this assurance she can indeed face death
calmlv and repeat with her great Model: Into Thy hands, O Lord,
f commend my spirit. Motlitations on the Passion. /n ll'trrt I'at't;. Ii-v Ilev. G.
li. llorhc. S.J.
We are living in an age rvhich shoulcl he prolific in saints. We
are crippled at present with urerliocrity in the spiritual life; wo
are parall'setl bI, ordinariness. ln view o[' the sin that is rife ii is Thc Passion l. By llt'v. J. nllhon.v, S.J.
time 'r,r'e reelised l,he need thele is of relrlration. The Sacred
Heart appeals for repa,ratiorr, antl reparatior is to be made by The Relics of the Passion' Ilv Il'. l!. Clater'.
nrodelling orrrselvcs on Him. This means sanctity, not mere avoid-
ance of sin, nor rnere escaping hell. 'It means generosity,.the Doing the Stations, l\'llov. llolrolt Nash. S.J.
determination bo ofrend the whole rvorld and risk every material
gain, rather than swerve a hairsbreadih from wha,t, we know to be
God's Will Devotion to the Holy Face' (lrrrrpilt'rl ltr':ltt []tsrtliltt' Nutt.
fn the proportion that we do God's Will (even the will of His
good pleasure which we can disobey without actually committing The Holy Season of Lent, Ilr' llcv Ignatius Stutzle,
sin) in the same will th-. grace of God florv from Calvary into our o.s.B.

Saints souls, in the same shall we become modelled

-:-":'-. upon Chr:ist. Those nre the throe steps on the Thouthts on the Passion' ln tln :lartrtls ttf tlrt'old arttl Neu
Need0d roatl to sanctit5'-d6, Gorl's lVill arrtl grace will 'l'tstrLmanl:. Ry M.M.Y.
flow ruri.mpecled irrto the soul; let grace florv thus into the soul
and the soul, will glorv in Christliness; a,nd Christliness is another The Virtue of Penanoe. Bv the nlost ller'. I!. T. O'l)rvyer,
narne for sanctity, I). T).
Christ appeals for saints. what a bitter regret we shall have at
our dea-th if u,e have turned a dea,f err to the appeal ! What sorrow Why Must t Sufrer? li1' llei'. Ilobelt Nash, S.J.
that we are only good eno,ugh when He was ulging us all those
-vears to generosit-v! But, rvhat confidence if we have tried con-
sistently, iu spite of ma,ny falls alotrg the ro,ad, to keep o,ur e,yes
Price 3d. each, by post, 4+d.
fixed on the X{odel and to do God's Will! Such a perseverance will
entitle us to look forward to the crown, to mingle our confideni;
pra)'er witlr the prayer of the dying Christ: "Into Thy hands, O
Irord, I commend my spirit."

20